Dowes Wealth

24/06/2026

What is protection and why do I need it?

Protecting your family is often low on a busy to-do list, yet it’s a fundamental part of any family’s financial plan – and financial resilience.

Financial protection such as insurance cover helps ensure that you and your family will be able to pay bills, maintain your lifestyle and safeguard your savings, should the worst happen.

A financial adviser can help you make sure you have the right level and type of protection for you, both now and in the future.

The value of protection insurance is clear. Cover brings peace of mind that the people you care about most will have a financial safety net should the worst happen.

Protection policies paid out a record £8 billion in life, critical illness and income protection claims in 2024, according to figures from the industry’s trade body the Association of British Insurers1.

None of us know what’s round the corner. Yet many of us still cross our fingers, and trust that ‘it won’t happen to me’.

Different types of insurance protection
The rule of thumb is, if you value it – protect it.

Different types of protection insurance exist, depending on what, or whom, you need to protect, and for how long.

The three most widely available are life assurance, income protection and critical illness protection.

To read more click on the link below:

The value of protection insurance is clear. Cover brings peace of mind that the people you care about most will have a financial safety net should the worst happen.

22/06/2026

Is downsizing the right move for you?

Downsizing to a smaller, more manageable property can make life simpler and cheaper.

Homeowners often downsize in response to a change in circumstances, to release cash to supplement income, or to support loved ones.

Consider getting financial advice to ensure you know all your downsizing options – you may have more options than you think.

The decision to downsize can come about for a variety of reasons.

The rise in the cost of living, particularly energy bills, over the past two years means running a large home has become increasingly expensive. For some people, downsizing is about a change in lifestyle in retirement, because they want a property that is easier to manage.

While for others the main motivation might be to release equity, either to supplement income in later life, or to gift to children who want to get on the property ladder.

Taking financial advice can help make sure you downsize at the right time, and for the right reasons.

Downsizing could be the solution to a house that’s become too big or costly to maintain. It might be the way to release money to live your retirement to the full, or even help out your children. It could mark the beginning of a brand new single life if you’re starting over.

Every downsizer has a valid reason for selling up and sizing down. But whatever your reasons, money – either the need to save it or find more of it – is usually the driving factor.

In this article, we'll explore the advantages and disadvantages of downsizing, when it's a good idea to downsize, and how to make sure you do it right.

Why downsize?
You are an empty nester and would rather have fewer bedrooms and more money to spend in your retirement.
Your property or family home is becoming too hard to manage or costing too much to run.
You're recently seperated from a long-term partner, spouse or civil partner or are recently bereaved.
You want to release a lump sum to spend on yourself, or your family.
Whatever your reasons, there are financial pros and cons to consider carefully before you make a move that you can't undo.

To read more click on the link below:

The rise in the cost of living, particularly energy bills, over the past two years means running a large home has become increasingly expensive. For some people, downsizing is about a change in lifestyle in retirement, because they want a property that is easier to manage.

18/06/2026

https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/english-wine-week/

English Wine Week 2026 runs from 20-28 June 2026. Discover the history, meaning, and how to get involved. Full guide with dates.

17/06/2026

Helping a business owner to step back – and move forward

With expert support, flex7 attracted competitive buyer interest and sold for more than double the owners’ original expectations.
Early financial planning and structured advice helped shape key decisions around timing, valuation and future income.
The sale enables Steve and Andrea to step away from flex7 and focus on growing their second business, Quickwire.


Elephant’s Child is a business advisory firm that specialises in helping SMEs grow, raise capital and plan for successful exits.

Stepping back from the business you have built from the ground up, often over a period of many years, is never easy. Yet the right advice and guidance can help founders achieve a successful deal and move onto the next stage of life. Below is the case study of a couple we recently advised on selling their business.

Steve and Andrea Garton set up their business Flex Connectors in 1998, before rebranding as flex7 – the name of their smart lighting system – in 2018. Ater deciding the time was right to sell, they contacted their SJP adviser for support. At this point their adviser put them in contact with us here at Elephant’s Child. Together, we helped Steve and Andrew to navigate an unfamiliar and often challenging exit journey. Having achieved more than double the value of the sale initially expected, the Garton’s are now ready to focus on their next venture.

"I think I'd rather boil my head than go through that ordeal again!” Steve Garton of flex7 said following the sale of the business recently.

Like so many SME owners, Steve and his wife Andrea had no previous experience of selling a business and found the process difficult. However, they were very grateful to have had support along the way. This is their journey:

Steve, a long term entrepreneurial designer, had built flex7 over many years into a successful business designing smart, intelligent lighting control systems. He came up with the concepts and ideas for new products and was very much a hands on business owner.

Alongside this, Steve and Andrea had also grown a second family business, Quickwire. When they first sought advice, their goal was clear: step aside from flex7 and focus their time, energy and financial input on building Quickwire for the next generation. Andrea was also keen for Steve to reduce his working hours or even retire.

At Elephant’s Child we worked closely with the couple and also made sure their SJP adviser was involved throughout the process, to ensure the sale process and timing was structured in the best possible way to fund their future plans. Starting these conversations early, rather than waiting until the sale had gone through, allowed for the best possible outcome in terms of having sufficient replacement income. Steve and Andrea were able to make informed decisions about spending, investing, and gifting and understand the impact of the sale price of the business and their choices on their long-term finances.

To read more click on the link below:

Elephant’s Child is a business advisory firm that specialises in helping SMEs grow, raise capital and plan for successful exits.

15/06/2026

Investing and penalties: a game of nerves or reactions?

With the start of the 2026 World Cup, fans across the globe will be excited to see their team perform but also dreading the stress of a potential penalty shootout.

A record-breaking five matches were decided this way in the 2022 tournament, including, famously, the final between Argentina and France.

Penalty shootouts offer goalkeepers the chance to be the hero, to display lightning reactions, diving to the left or right in an effort to keep the ball out of the net. In truth, they often would be better served staying put in the middle of the goal. But it wouldn’t look as good.

The same is true in investing – with so much noise around world events, it can be tempting to buy and sell investments as they rise and fall, to try and time the market. But history has shown time and time again the best option is to avoid making emotional decisions, and to stay true to your long-term process. While investments have delivered positive outcomes over many longer-term periods, returns can never be guaranteed, and you could get back less than you invest.

To read more click on the link below:

With the start of the 2026 World Cup, fans across the globe will be excited to see their team perform but also dreading the stress of a potential penalty shootout.

12/06/2026

Last week Dowes Wealth held its annual team day, starting with a game of padel followed by a tasting experience with a childhood theme, inspired by the meals, treats and little moments from growing up. A fantastic day enjoyed by everyone 🙂

10/06/2026

Approaching retirement: what is the right time to de-risk?

De-risking strategies may involve broader diversification of your investments and regular reviews of your portfolio to help manage risk.

Selling investments during a market dip can harm long-term growth. Having a cash buffer set aside can help you avoid this.

The right time to de-risk depends on your goals and need for income as well as your attitude to risk – it is about finding the right balance.

Moving from decades of building wealth to relying on investments for income is a significant transition. At this point, many people begin to think more carefully about risk, particularly how much of it they are comfortable taking.

Meanwhile, those who are approaching retirement may feel concerned about the timing of taking income from investments in the current economic and geopolitical environment, when markets may seem more volatile.

However, de-risking a portfolio is often misunderstood. In practice, it simply means making your investments safer and more stable over time, although it can't remove risk entirely and factors such as inflation still need to be considered. It doesn’t need to happen suddenly, nor does it mean sacrificing potential for long-term growth.

So what is the right time to do it? Here we explore how to approach de-risking and some of the strategies available.

To read more click on the link below:

Moving from decades of building wealth to relying on investments for income is a significant transition. At this point, many people begin to think more carefully about risk, particularly how much of it they are comfortable taking.

08/06/2026

Could small caps offer investors a big opportunity?

Years of weak performance mean smaller company value low compared to large companies.

The sector offers a potential diversifier within a portfolio.

However, smaller companies are inherently riskier than larger companies.

After years of underperformance, smaller companies, known as small caps, had a stellar start to the year. Yet with values still relatively low, could it be worth investors taking a closer look?

In recent years, it has sometimes been hard to escape talk of the Magnificent 7 – the group of seven of the world’s largest and most influential companies which includes the likes of Apple, Amazon and Nvidia. These companies have played a major role in driving stock market returns in recent years. Even when their performance ebbs somewhat, other tech giants, defence companies or similar have naturally filled the news cycle. But by only looking at the biggest companies out there, are we ignoring the vast world of smaller companies (small caps)?
From small to not-so small
The name ‘small cap’ is often something of a misnomer. While these companies will barely register as a blip on the radar next to the giants of the FTSE 100 or S&P 500, they can be quite large.

There is no hard and fast threshold for the sector, but generally companies valued at between £300 million and £2 billion are classed as small cap. In the US, it’s US$300 million to US$2 billion – so broadly comparable, once currencies are considered.

At this size and scale, many household names will fall into the small cap sector. In the UK, fast food chain Greggs is considered a small cap, despite being ubiquitous on the high street. Meanwhile US brands such as Crocs and GoPro have international footprints yet are still technically in the small caps space.

From small beginnings to larger outcomes
Games Workshop, a British manufacturer of miniature wargames, provides an interesting example of why this sector could be attractive to investors.

The company (creators of the Warhammer and Warhammer 40k IPs, among other things) has spent most of its history firmly in the small cap space, or below, with a market capitalisation of just under £300 million in 2016. However, over the past decade it has witnessed explosive growth. The value of the company (the market cap) quadrupled in 2017, and it entered the FTSE 100 in 2024. Games Workshop is now worth £6.7 billion at the time of writing. £500 invested in 2016 would now be worth over £20,000.

Clearly this is an outlier, and most small caps will never achieve this level of growth, and many will fail. But it highlights the fact that sales and earnings can grow very rapidly from a low base at small companies and share prices will respond.

To read more click on the link below:

The name ‘small cap’ is often something of a misnomer. While these companies will barely register as a blip on the radar next to the giants of the FTSE 100 or S&P 500, they can be quite large.

01/06/2026

Why bonds are back in the spotlight – and why it matters

Bonds are back in the headlines, with political uncertainty driving fresh volatility in what is usually seen as a steadier part of the market. But why does this matter for investors? We answer some of the key questions.

Backdrop: When governments need to borrow money to fund expenses, they generally do so by issuing bonds. In the UK, government bonds are known as ‘gilts’. Each gilt will pay a regular amount of interest over the course of its life, which is called the coupon, with higher interest rates charged for bonds seen as ‘less safe’.

The amount an investor earns lending to the government on a 10-year gilt has risen sharply in recent months to 5%, a level not seen for years and a sign of investor unease. Likewise, the yield on a 30-year gilt is close to 6%, a level not seen since 1998.

Why are gilt yields rising?
Investors hate uncertainty, but the UK currently has it in bucket loads. The Labour party leadership contest is raising fears that the government’s already weak finances will be put under further strain should candidates promise to spend more in a bid to woo voters.

The Iran war is making things worse. Energy prices worldwide have risen sharply, and the UK is particularly vulnerable as it imports much of what it needs. This feeds through into higher costs for households and businesses. The result is that domestic inflation has risen notably. As well as uncertainty, bond investors hate inflation as it erodes their returns. As a result, they demand higher compensation to hold gilts, which means higher yields.

To read more click on the link below:

Investors hate uncertainty, but the UK currently has it in bucket loads. The Labour party leadership contest is raising fears that the government’s already weak finances will be put under further strain should candidates promise to spend more in a bid to woo voters.

29/05/2026

https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/european-neighbours-day/

European Neighbours' Day 2026 falls on Friday 29 May 2026. Discover the history, meaning, and ways to celebrate. Full guide.